Wild Horses
by Spidermonkey111
Summary: Set post 8x16 with alternate 8x17. A mysterious horse helps Dean find Castiel.
1. Chapter 1

"A disappearing horse?" Dean would be incredulous if they hadn't had a case once that involved a unicorn.

"Yeah, apparently some kids told their teacher about it and she didn't believe them until she saw it too. A friend of hers told her to call us."

"Not a unicorn?" Dean tried to look at Sam normally, to keep the concern out of his eyes but he couldn't help but watch his little brother carefully. Right now he looked fine though and he was looking more and more comfortable on his desk in the batcave. _Home._

"No, but apparently it_ is_ white and glowy. According to this teacher it looked lost,"

"Lost? Are they sure the horse hasn't just escaped its paddock or something and ran away when it saw them?"

"And it decided to hang out in a suburban playground?" Sam retorts.

Dean sighs. "I suppose we should check it out then." Horses are not his favourite animal. In fact Dean is not really an animal person full stop but he agrees because maybe this will help to distract him from being able to do anything about anything else.

* * *

It is an unrewarding chat with the teacher. They can't use an FBI cover for a horse so pretend to be rangers instead. She clearly knows less than Dean and Sam about horses though. They do learn that the children left some carrots out in a bucket overnight and the carrots were gone by morning. They leave, telling her they would take a look.

Walking back to the car, Sam seems to think the whole thing is quite funny.

It annoys Dean. "It likes carrots. Wow, must be magical."

"Dean it disappeared."

"I'm not convinced."

"It shouldn't be hard to check it out."

Dean stops and glares at Sam as they reach the car. "Sam we are not sitting out in a park all night with a bucket of carrots. That's like waiting for Santa."

* * *

It takes a long time for it to appear. It is a boring and frustrating wait. Dean is restless, this hunt seems so trivial and it isn't providing much of a distraction. He wants to close the gates of hell, not muck around with magical ponies.

Sam falls asleep and Dean decides not to wake him. He is worried about Sam. Not an unusual feeling for him but for a while there he was getting used to Sam being okay. Now here he is again worried about something supernatural trying to hurt his brother. He is more sure than ever that he shouldn't have let Sam do the trials.

The worst thing is he had pleaded to Castiel and he hadn't come. Before then he had kept his prayers pretty casual, just like leaving a message on an answering machine. He had given in though, he was desperate and this was _Sam_. So he had tried _begging_.

It had scared him to be that vulnerable and still Cas hadn't come. In the end it had left him feeling helpless and lonely and he felt more than ever how much he needed Cas.

* * *

It is early morning when it appears. Dean doesn't know what he expected, but it isn't this. This horse looks beautiful and elegant, with a delicate head but it is strong. It is fit and well muscled and it glows, even though there isn't any moonlight, even though its coat is scruffy and its mane is tangled.

It looks around and it does look lost, forlorn even as it neighs to the empty park. Then it stands still, flicking its ears, waiting for a reply. Silence. Then it sees the bucket of carrots and blink of an eye its eating them. Dean blinks again.

It had either been really quick or it just moved there. It looked happier now. Dean is just starting to wonder exactly what he and Sam were going to do about it when it looked at him.

It saw him.

_Come here. _The words in his head are so quiet, just a suggestion.

He gets out of the car and shut the door. Sam stirs but doesn't wake up.

Dean doesn't know why he reaches out and strokes its neck. It feels like velvet. It sniffs his hands and then looks at him again with weary lost eyes. Dean gets a sudden feeling of mutual understanding. He reaches into the bucket and gets out a carrot and offers it out in his hand. The horse takes it gently and chews contentedly.

_Thankyou._

He definitely didn't imagine it that time. He starts talking to it, just rambling not knowing what to say, but hoping it will talk again.

"What are you? Hey? Why are you freaking out the kids? You must have a home somewhere. Somewhere you belong."

_No home, not anymore. Free now._

It's not like the horse is speaking to him, more like planting little thoughts deep into his subconscious.

"Why are you here then?"

_I didn't know what to do. I am alone._

"You better not be hurting anyone."

_No._

"You are scaring people though. Horses don't normally disappear.

_I apologise._

This horse is starting to remind him of Cas in a vague sort of way and he feels sorry for it. "Can I help?"

_Probably not. But I will help you. I can take you to your angel who is in trouble._

"How can you do that? And how do you know where he is?"

_I can fly. Get on my back._

The horse is kneeling down before Dean can reply. This is mad and he decides he must be dreaming or something because there is no way this is actually happening. And he can't ride.

He steps over its back and sits down and it stands up.

_Hold on._

Dean wraps a hand in its mane. There is a sound of flapping wings and they are gone.


	2. Chapter 2

It feels similar to flying with Castiel.

It makes Dean feel sick.

It is _nothing_ though compared to how he feels when he looks around.

They are all him. Hundreds of copies of himself and they litter the floor like ants as far as he can see. Like he is in a room with mirrored walls. But he is not.

They are all dead.

Cas drops the one he has just stabbed his angel blade through and turns to look at Dean with cold dead eyes. Dean feels his chest clench. _What have they done to him?_ _This is sick, is this what they are doing to him?_

_This can't be heaven. This is hell._

A woman in a suit turns to look at Dean. She seems surprised at first.

"Why are you here? " and then she sees the horse he is sitting on, "oh, I see."

"What have you done to Castiel? Who are you?"

"I am fixing him! He was so broken and I have saved him."

Castiel still just stares dumbly, looking a little puzzled as if something about the whole situation is not quite right. She looks at Castiel and then back at Dean and seems to come to some sort of decision.

"Castiel, you are ready, time to put your training to the test. Kill him."

Castiel looks up and starts walking between the bodies towards Dean and the horse.

"Shit," says Dean, he has no idea what to do, even what he can do, "can't you take us out of here horse?"

_She has trapped me here. I cannot fly away._

"Pegasus, don't even think about leaving," calls out Naomi, "You could be an important asset for heaven"

"_The _Pegasus," starts Dean.

_Hold on._

Dean can feel the horse gathering himself and he grabs his mane for a second time and Pegasus rears and leaps away as Castiel gets closer. Somehow he manages to canter nimbly away avoiding the bodies strewn across the floor. The angel moves faster though, appearing suddenly in front of them and Pegasus stops abruptly. Dean is not a rider and he loses his balance, falling down the horses shoulder and landing at Castiel's feet.

"Cas, it's me, it's the real me,"

Cas flings him away with one arm while he flicks his angel blade in his hand and strides towards him.

"She can't make you do this, we can get away, we can fix this somehow."

"Castiel, hurry up and kill him," demands Naomi.

Castiel's face loses it blank expression and now he looks tortured.

"Naomi I won't, let me go," Cas gasps, fighting whatever it was that was in his head. Fighting and _losing._

He throws Dean against a pillar. "Dean I can't stop it!"

"Cas, I came here to get you," but before Dean can say anything else Cas grabs him again, bashing his head into the pillar. Dean almost loses consciousness and he leans back, sliding down and slumping onto the floor. He can't look at Cas, at the look of terror that flies across his face only be replaced by nothing.

Nothing.

"I need you"

Castiel leans over him, to punch him, to stab him, Dean doesn't know, he can't think as he fights off the dizziness.

Castiel's tie dangles down over him. Dean looks up and Cas looks lost, lost and alone. He reaches out and pulls Castiel closer catching him off guard until they are so very, very close.

"I'm not letting you go," and Dean feels his heart swell and it hurts so much so he kisses Castiel and everything he has no words for, everything he cannot, will not say, pours into it. Cas drops the angel blade, it clatters and Dean lets go.

"Castiel NO!" screams Naomi.

"Dean... I'm so sorry. " Castiel looks wrecked.

Dean hears Pegasus in his head.

_Quick she has let me go. We must go while she is distracted._

"Come home" whispers Dean. Castiel reaches out an arm towards him and takes his hand.

"Your home is here Castiel!" Now it is Naomi's turn to sound desperate._  
_

Castiel reaches out and heals Dean with a swipe of his fingers on his forehead. Dean thinks he must have heard the horse as well as before he knows it Cas has pulled him onto its back and they are gone.

The last thing he sees is Naomi standing in a sea of dead bodies, looking furious.

Then he feels Cas's arms around him.

* * *

They appear back in the park where they left. Sam is still in the car sleeping.

Cas dismounts and then helps Dean off Pegasus.

"Thank you for rescuing me," he says, not able to look Dean in the eye.

Dean doesn't really know what to say. He has the image of Cas holding his limp dead body burnt into his brain. And she made him do it hundreds of times. _Thousands._

"Who was she?" he asks, because he is still unable to really talk about this and he doesn't know what to say. _You kissed him Dean _screams an internal voice.

"Naomi, she is an angel. She wanted me to... she may still want me to Dean," Cas says not able to hold eye contact for more than a few seconds "I'm not safe to be around."

"I don't care Cas, I'm not letting you go. Don't you understand?" Its too much and Dean can feel tears welling up in his eyes. _Remind him._

This time Castiel kisses him back.

* * *

They drive back to the batcave after they wake up Sam. They tell him everything on the way. He is almost as horrified as Dean to hear about how the angels tried to control Cas. Dean asks Cas about Sam, but apparently even angels can't help him now.

Which means the knot in Dean's stomach is back. But right now Cas is coming home so maybe things might just end up okay. Maybe.

It's not until they are walking in the door that he realises there is a white horse following them.

"Oh no, you can't come with us" Dean says.

_Why not?_

"We don't have a stable"

"Is he really Pegasus?" Sam asks Cas.

"Yes, he belonged to Zeus who used him to carry his lightning bolts. You and Dean killed Zeus and so set him free."

"I can't see his wings though" says Dean.

"You can't see my wings either."

_I can stay outside, in the forest._

"Come on Dean, he is a flying horse, could be useful" comments Sam.

"Why do I feel like the Batcave is being turned into a home for lost puppies?"

"Is your home a cave?" Cas tilts his head.

"Not even close Cas, come and see," says Dean as he opens the door "its _awesome,"_ and they follow him inside.

Pegasus, leaps away and disappears into the trees.


End file.
